Through binoculars
by howtodreamagain
Summary: Meet Lucy Heartfilia, a home editor and extreme introvert. To appease her boredom in her lonely life, she peeks through her window at a pink-haired stranger who lives in the apartment block opposite hers. Using binoculars. What would you do if you discovered that a random person has been staring at you for the past two years? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Due to slight writer's block on my other stories, I've decided to try get the creative juices flowing with a new story. Hope you enjoy!**

 **-howtodreamagain**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima (though Mashima-sensei stop giving me heart attacks or making me lose my mind with all these cliffhanger chapters)**

 _Italics_ **means Lucy's thoughts**

 _ **Bold italics**_ **means Natsu's thoughts**

 **Chapter 1: Bye maybe stalker**

 **xXx**

 _Beep, beep, beep…_ The alarm clock continuously beeped at precisely 7am, annoying the hell out of 20-year-old Lucy Heartfilia who had been up late again after several hours of editing. With a grumble, she reached out her hand to shut up her clock.

"Go beep yourself, stupid clock." Lucy grumbled, though she knew that later when she cleaned it, she'd be apologizing profusely to her beloved clock which she had named Horologium.

Rolling around her bed, Lucy quietly swore when she fell off the bed, rubbing her sore bum. She got up, still wincing as she trudged towards her window to begin her usual morning routine.

Picking up the familiar pink binoculars which looked cute but were actually really powerful, she opened her curtains slightly. Holding the binoculars to her eyes she quickly caught a glimpse of the pink hair that she was quite familiar with.

 _After all_ _it's totally normal to be familiar with hair belonging to a random person you've never talked to and instead spy on through pink binoculars._

"Great, the talking to myself habit is back. Erza's going to wreck me." Lucy muttered to herself.

Sighing, she looked through the binoculars again to see what the pink-haired man who she had affectionately nicknamed Pinky was doing. Seeing that he was cleaning up the mess on his floor, she quickly rushed to do the same, throwing her dirty clothes in a basket and tidying up the manuscripts scattered on the floor.

Taking another peek, she saw him heading towards his bathroom, probably brushing his teeth, cleaning his face and whatnot. Lucy moved to do the same, knowing he took around ten minutes in there.

 _Right now, if people saw you, they'd probably be wondering why a lunatic like you is not doing locked up in an asylum for some pretty worrying obsessions_.

After all, right now Lucy was mimicking Pinky's daily morning routine as best she could. Why? To better understand human beings and their behaviour in order to better fit in with society was her best reason (excuse) so far.

 _It's not like I'm mimicking him, I'm more imitating him. If anything, it's like a game. Yeah, a game! A game called…called If you do, I do. Kudos to you, myself, for such a good name._ Lucy hi-fived the air, before frowning.

 _And now you're back to loser status. Who hi-fives the air? A weirdo._ Lucy snickered tonelessly at her sad joke.

Leaving the bathroom, Lucy took another glance at Pinky who was now preparing breakfast for himself and his blue cat. Smiling at how adorable his cat looked pawing at his food bowl, she heard a little whine at her side before she felt a ticklish sensation on her right leg. Looking down Lucy saw her own pet, a small, fluffy white dog called Plue. Plue barked happily when he got her attention.

"Sorry little buddy. You're probably really hungry right now."

Moving to her kitchen, she grabbed the dog food and placed some into Plue's food bowl and then moved back to prepare her own breakfast, a measly muesli bar.

 _Muesli again. I eat so much muesli I might really become a muesli bar someday. Then again I guess this is fitting for someone who usually orders cheap food online so she doesn't have to go outside._

Lucy inwardly cried as she chomped on the bar, the plain boring taste filling her mouth.

 _One day. One day Lucy you'll be going out. That is once you get over your fear of people, your serious anxiety issues, and most importantly, when you desire human physical interaction._

"That'll be the day when Pinky finds out that I've been ogling him from afar," Lucy scoffed, "Right Plue?" Plue looked up from his meal to glance at her questioningly.

 _Yeah, that'll be the day…_

 **xXx**

Natsu Dragneel's morning began the usual way, just as it had for the past two years. With the feeling of being watched. Slightly uncomfortable with it at first, Natsu had grown used to it, to the point that it now felt uncomfortable without it.

 _ **Not that that's weird Natsu. It's perfectly normal for a twenty one year old man living in an apartment by himself to feel comfortable with the sensation of someone watching you. It's not like they might be a stalker or psycho or maybe a random recluse that has nothing better to do than watch people when they're bored.**_

From afar, Lucy sneezed.

After his usual morning routine of cleaning, washing and finally eating, Natsu began to stretch, preparing his muscles for his normal exercises.

 _ **After all, this incredible body didn't just happen over a day. Or maybe it did…**_

Natsu snickered softly to himself but oofed when his cat, Happy, blue after an unfortunate incident with blue paint, jumped onto his stomach as if sensing his thoughts.

"You're lucky I like you buddy, or I would've whooped your ass a long time ago." Natsu said, glaring at his cat.

Happy only meowed and jumped off, prancing away like a snob.

"Elitist cat."

 _ **Good work me! You sure showed him. Now if only that wasn't your cat. Then you'd probably look slightly more mature to other people.**_

Natsu grinned before laying down on the floor, getting ready to do sit ups. Unbeknownst to him, a blonde stalker was watching him through binoculars was also preparing to do the same.

Wearing a pink headband, Lucy's eyes turned fiery as she laid down.

"I'm all fired up!" They both shouted.

Natsu started doing sit ups in rapid succession, not even breaking a sweat. _**Twenty…twenty one…twenty two…yeah I'm on a roll today…**_

At the same time, Lucy was huffing and puffing. _Three…four…five…ugh what number comes next…_

By the time Natsu had reached fifty, Lucy had reached fifteen.

"Okay, time for a five minute break." Lucy wheezed, trying to catch her breath.

Natsu, however, immediately moved on to pushups, proving his athleticism.

 _An hour later~_

"Well there goes my daily exercise." Natsu grinned, loosening his muscles and then headed towards his bathroom.

"Well that's my weekly exercise done." Lucy slumped on the floor, spreading out her arms and legs, resembling a starfish.

Meanwhile, Natsu had finished getting ready, wearing his casual clothes before proceeding to leave his apartment, opening the door.

"Bye Happy…" The blue cat gave a goodbye meow.

 _ **Bye maybe stalker…**_

Still feeling the sensation of being watched, he left and shut the door behind him, slightly missing that strange yet familiar feeling.

Lucy watched him from afar, her eyes wistful with a hint of jealousy at how easy it was for him to leave his apartment.

 _Bye Pinky…have a good day today…_

 **xXx**

 **Well that was the first chapter of 'If you do'. I might change the story name when I find a better one. Please follow, favourite and review!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to the second installment of 'If you do'. Before we begin I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all you wonderful readers who decided to review, favourite or follow this story.**

 _Lucy's thoughts_ **in italics**

 _ **Natsu's thoughts**_ **in bold italics**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does**

 **And without further ado, let the chapter begin!**

 **Chapter 2: I curse you sympathy**

Lucy just knew today was going to be a bad day. The first sign? She accidentally used up a liter more of water than she usually did when she did her morning laundry. Call her cheap but the expensive rent for her apartment could make any sane human act like Gollum, as if every drop of water was a precious ring.

 _Not to mention, even if I waste only one drop, I swear Aquarius will know._ Lucy shivered in fear at her scary landlady, imagining her piercing glare on her.

Anyway, back to her list of reasons why today was going to suck.

The second sign: Pinky's blue cat. This morning when Lucy did her usual 'studying' of the human condition via staring at a certain pink-haired person from afar, she had noticed his blue cat seemed different, not even eating fish, which Lucy knew was his ultimate favourite food.

 _Damn my weakness for pets. It's seriously going to be my downfall. But I hope his cat is okay. Argh curse you sympathy!_ Lucy angrily shook her clenched fist in the air.

The third and final sign: every five minutes, her right pinky would twitch and spasm like it was having a seizure, so for the past half an hour, Lucy was extremely worried that her seizing-pinky was only a foreshadowing of a dark future.

"Do you see this Plue?! My pinky is doing it again!" Lucy used her left hand to jab accusingly at her right hand.

"Right pinky, I command you to stop!" _Did you actually think that was going to work?_

Plue looked at her with judging eyes.

"PLUE IT'S NOT STOPPING?! WHAT SHOULD I DO?!" Lucy panicked as this was the longest seizure yet.

Plue continued to look at her but this time his eyes said come here, I can fix this.

Lucy practically fell on the floor before him, holding her hand out to her dog.

"Save me Plue."

Lucy looked as Plue moved his head closer to her twitching pinky, opening his mouth.

 **Snap!**

Lucy glared at Plue. "Biting my pinky off is not solving the problem! You're lucky I realised your intentions or the consequences would have been…severe for me **and you** …"

Sensing her threat, Plue used his fluffy white paws to cover his ears and then looked at her with puppy dog eyes. _Trying to use the age old technique of your fluffy ancestors to trick me?! I won't let you!_

"Don't look at me like that…" Lucy shifted her gaze away.

Plue whined sadly.

Lucy sighed softly before gathering Plue in her arms, cooing softly to him that it was okay and that she forgave him.

 _I curse you sympathy!_

Maybe it was magic or the fear triggered by the near loss of a part of her right hand but Lucy's pinky stopped twitching.

"Plue it stopped! What magic are you capable of?" She looked down at Plue, in awe of her furry companion, her attitude towards him flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

Plue barked as if saying I'm magic itself.

"Haha you sure are." _And I've entered the first stage of madness or have I already been there but never accepted it. Talking to animals. Soon I'll be Lucy the dog-whisperer._

"But this is a good sign! Plue…today might not be a bad day!" Lucy cried in joy. **  
**

 **xXx**

Getting up from the wooden floor, she trudged over to her window, picking up her pink binoculars to peek at the apartment and see if maybe with the third sign gone, Pinky's cat was now better and eating his fish.

 _I swear I jinx myself way too often._

What she saw was not a happy fish-loving blue cat (not that that was normal) but instead she saw it lying on its side in front of the windows as if in deep pain. Lucy's heart clenched in pain.

 _What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? I have to go. It's not like you could call a vet and say hi my name is Lucy Heartfilia and the cat of a person that I spy on who lives in another building, seems to be pretty sick or something. Could you maybe pay a visit to that cat? No Lucy, you have to go. Move forward._

Rushing to the door, Lucy slipped on the first pair of shoes she could find, and then held the doorknob that kept her in or rather from her perspective, kept the outside world out.

 _Open it. Open it._

She would but her hands kept shaking and she couldn't properly grip the doorknob.

 _Outside. People. People outside. Too many people. Stay inside. Must stay inside._

Just as she was about to lose her courage, she felt a comforting nudge at her right leg. Looking down, she saw Plue gaze at her with knowing eyes that this time said I'll be with you every step of the way. Open the door.

 _Plue's right. I may just be deluding myself seeing as I just talked to my dog again but he'll be with me. Take the step Lucy._

Gripping the doorknob firmly, she opened the door at a snail's pace, peeking her blonde head out to see if anyone was in the hallway. Seeing it was clear, she stepped outside with Plue following. She closed the door.

 _Mission 1: Leaving the apartment. Complete. Mission 2: Reach the blue cat._

Taking a deep breath, Lucy took a shaky step forward, then another and another until she was practically jogging out of the apartment building.

 _Man, I really need to do exercise. Note to self: Do exercise more in the near future._

Huffing and puffing by the time she entered Pinky's apartment building, Lucy went into the elevator with a not-puffed-at-all Plue. Shooting a scathing look at her dog, she pressed the button for level 4, deciding that they if they were on the same level than his apartment floor would be the same as hers. Lucy shot a triumphant grin at Plue.

"See Plue, your owner here may not be too fit but she isn't a top editor for nothing. I'm all set…up here." Lucy said smugly, pointing at her head.

Plue covered his eyes with his paws, sending the clear message of how embarrassed he was of his owner. Lucy grunted and together they stepped off the elevator on level four.

 _Mission 2: Reach the blue cat. Com-_

"Oh crap." Lucy looked at the floor which had eight doors, each leading to their own respective apartments.

 **xXx**

 _Life lesson: karma is a bitch._

Plue stared at her, resting his head on his paws and huffing almost like he was laughing at her predicament.

"You're probably thinking, well smart owner, what are you going to do now?" Lucy said annoyed, sensing his train of thought.

 _C'mon Lucy. Think. You can't let your dog keep having the last word!_

"I got it! Plue…" Lucy began uncharacteristically serious, catching his attention, "…promise me after this…you won't judge me…"

And with her solemn speech over, Lucy proceeded to the closest door and dropped to the floor, placing her mouth as physically close as possible to the gap between the door and the floor without touching either. And then she meowed.

Plue snorted.

Lucy glared at him. "You're not meant to judge me!"

 _Curse you sympathy for taking away my dignity._

Plue snorted again.

"…You didn't say I couldn't judge you right now?" Lucy said slowly, catching an astonished look on her dog's face. _I've really become a dog-whisperer._

Lucy sighed and returned back to her original position by the door. She meowed again and then pressed her ear against the door. Hearing nothing, she crawled over to the next door, a few metres away.

And it was by the fifth door that Plue sensed the presence of an incoming stranger and barked to his owner. However, Lucy was too focused on trying to hear and communicate to a blue cat that was possibly on the other side of this door to notice. So she was very, very startled to hear someone behind her.

"…Ahem?"

Lucy froze. _Dear Plue, if you really are magic, then transform me into dirt so I can vanish right now. Sincerely, the one who will forever sing your praises if you do, Lucy._

But after remaining frozen for a few more seconds, she saw she wasn't turning into dirt so she reluctantly turned her head away from the door to face the stranger. Seeing that the stranger was a young girl with blue hair tied up in long pigtails, Lucy relaxed slightly but not by much.

 _This phrase may seem repetitive by now, but CURSE YOU SYMPATHY!_

 **xXx**

Wendy had to admit that when she headed home today she never expected to see a random stranger wearing pink bunny slippers with her ear pressed up against her apartment door making cat noises.

"…hello? I'm Wendy. And you are?" Wendy started the conversation, something that surprised her as usually she was too shy to. But in front of this blonde lady who seemed to quiver after noticing her presence, Wendy felt a sudden urge to soothe her.

"…h…he…hello…I'm L…Lucy", Lucy stuttered.

"May I ask what you're doing here?"

"…I…I…" Lucy struggled to speak, all her fears coming to life and taking hold of her brain.

"Yes…?" Wendy waited patiently.

"I s…saw a b…blue cat that s…seemed pretty s…sick…and I th…thought I c…could get a v…vet to h…help…"

Wendy smiled, sensing that all Lucy had tried to do was locate and help Happy. She also noted how Lucy's white dog, now by his owner's side seemed to nuzzle into Lucy's side as if to reassure her.

"I can examine the cat. I'm a vet-in-training." Wendy said brightly, proud of her chosen occupation.

"T…That's wo…wonderful."

"Could you wait here for a bit? I'd like to call the owner of the cat so he can unlock the door for us and I'm sure he'd want to thank you." Wendy asked, unlocking her mobile phone.

 _And that's it for me. One little girl = a challenge. One little girl + one pinky = heart attack._

"A…Ah…I…I…see…" Lucy said nervously, watching as Wendy turned her back on her and the elevator.

Using the opportunity, she quietly rushed towards the elevator, Plue in tow and quickly departed from the apartment building.

 _I'm sorry Wendy._

However, in her haste, Lucy failed to notice that she was now one less shoe than when she had first started until she reached home wearing only one slipper.

 _Oh curse you sympathy. You've even taken away my slipper._

 **xXx**

"Why're ya giving me a pink bunny slipper?" Natsu asked Wendy, holding the bunny slipper in his left hand while his right continued to stroke Happy who had suffered a case of indigestion from a bad fish, nothing too serious according to Wendy.

Wendy giggled.

Natsu frowned in confusion. "Is it a birthday present? You know Wendy, shoes come in pairs. Even slippers like…these…"

Wendy laughed again before replying, "It's the slipper of Lucy, the girl who led me to Happy in the first place."

"…led you to Happy?"

"Yeah, she said she saw a blue cat looking sick so she rushed here to try get some help for him." Wendy smiled at the memory of her and Lucy's first meeting.

"…wait…this Lucy character said she _saw_ Happy looking sick?"

"That's what I heard Natsu. Anyway I have to go, it's getting late. Make sure you return that slipper to her. You owe Lucy that much at least."

"Right…night Wendy."

She waved goodbye and then left his apartment. The moment his door shut, he looked at Happy.

"She **saw** you buddy. This Luigi **saw** you!"

Happy meowed in agreement before biting the slipper Natsu still held in his hand.

"Do you know what that means Happy?!"

Happy gave him a look that said of course I know what it means but do you know what it means.

"Of course I do Happy! How could you doubt me?!" Natsu replied to his cat's unasked question, offended.

 _ **Happy's going to be so proud of his owner that I figured this out so quickly!**_

"This Luigi might have an idea on who's stalking me! She might know the identity of whoever is watching me!"

Happy 1. Natsu 0.

Happy faceplanted on the floor.

"Happy what's wrong?!" Natsu cried out, huddling his cat close to his warm body.

Happy shook his head, too tired at the moment to handle his owner's denseness.

"Anyway buddy, tomorrow I'll start looking for this Luigi and then together we'll hatch a plan to catch this maybe stalker!" Natsu shouted enthusiastically.

Happy could only meow in amusement.

 **xXx**

Lucy stared at her computer screen, Plue huddled around her feet fast asleep. She opened a new document leaving it as untitled and began to write.

' _Sometimes the woman wondered if she would ever find the courage to walk outside without her close companion. The escalating fear, the anxiety that like her shadow, she can never escape from always builds up. Whenever, on the rare occasion, she does meet a new person, the woman's body clenches up in nerves and fear and stress and anxiety and all she can ever do is run away. However, when the woman looks up at the midnight sky full of stars, she feels hope that maybe someday, her world may change. Just as her mother always told her'_

Lucy stopped typing, the rush of energy she felt during writing leaving her empty. Saving what she had written, Lucy swivelled around in her chair and then leaned back to gaze up at the night sky.

"Maybe someday…"

 **xXx**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Many thanks to all those who chose to review, favourite and/or follow this story. It really warms my heart. In particular, special thanks to:**

 **Skullcrusher508: Thanks for your sweet words ^^ I'll try my best to keep updating as frequently as I can**

 **Guest: You're awesome ;) Thank you so much for your review!**

 **If you have any ideas or want to see something happen in the upcoming chapters, please review or PM me :)**

' **Til the next time, fellow dreamers.**

 **-how to dream again**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I'm updating so late. Just a case of writer's block plus Christmas chaos ^^" Thank you to all those who favourited, followed or reviewed this story :D**

 _Italics_ **is Lucy's thoughts**

 _ **Bold italics**_ **is Natsu's thoughts**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Chapter 3: Embrace your inner stalker**

A week had passed since Natsu's "brilliant" Sherlock Holmes worthy deduction about Lucy and nothing had changed since then as he was still stuck on the first part of the plan. The plan to catch the possible maybe stalker, plan PMS for short (Natsu had been very proud of his abbreviating skills though Happy looked at him like he was an idiot every time he mentioned it) first required one essential key step- finding Luigi.

"What's with this woman?!" Natsu whined to Happy for the umpteenth time after another fruitless attempt to find the elusive blonde.

"I mean I've looked everywhere- the shops, the park, the library. I'm this close," Natsu pinched his right thumb and index finger as close together as he could without them touching, "to becoming a stalker myself."

Happy only meowed.

"Because of her I may never be able to achieve Plan PMS." Natsu paced the floor in agitation.

Happy snorted, lying on his front paws as he prepared to sleep.

 _ **Is Luigi invisible or something? All I know about her is that she wears pink bunny slippers, has blonde hair and is the key to catching whoever's been watching me like a stalker...Hmm…stalker…stalker…**_

"I GOT IT!" Natsu shouted.

Happy jumped up from his almost nap, hissing in annoyance.

"Sorry buddy but listen to my idea! It's ingenious! To find Luigi I have to embrace my inner stalker!"

Happy, already used to his owner's crazy antics only returned to his nap.

Natsu, excited and still smug at his brilliant plan, rushed over to his laptop which he promptly unlocked and then opened his favourite blog community: Fairy Tail Online with its familiar slogan; it's the people that no one imagine anything of that can do things that no one can imagine. **[A/N: quoted from The Imitation Game]**

He typed in the search bar: how to find someone. Only one result popped up and he clicked on it eagerly.

"This sounds good. How to find a missing person 101. The blogger's username is a bit weird though- water-woman+gray-sama=38babies…"

 _ **My blogger name is way cooler.**_

"Anyway, Happy come here and read with me." Natsu picked up a sleepy Happy and plopped him on his lap.

 _ **Now let's see here…**_

Natsu began reading aloud, a habit he had picked up after hearing that cats loved their owners more if they talked to them regularly.

"Dear readers, this post 'How to find a missing person' is a guide on how to stalk find your beloved Gray-sama the person you are specifically looking for. There are several steps, each more successful than the last. I wish you luck on your love endeavours. Note: if you are after my Gray-sama, I will come after you, love rival.

Lucy sneezed in her apartment, looking at Plue expectantly. _Why won't he bless me?_

xXx

Over the coming weeks, Natsu read and followed the blog's instructions as best as he could.

 **Step 1: The first step is to construct a profile of what you know about them and using any possible leverage, create a missing poster. P.S. This is especially useful when the person you're** **stalking** **looking for seems to be hiding from you.**

Lucy was walking home from a grocery run on account of her internet connection dying which meant no online ordering. Covered completely from head to toe, drawing the attention of many as she walked, her own attention was drawn when she heard the rustle of paper close to her.

Moving closer, Lucy gasped in horror at what was before her. There, next to a crude drawing of a blonde female stick figure wearing pink bunny slippers read the words- Dear Luigi, I have your pink bunny slipper. See me now! From the owner of the blue cat."

 _I am never leaving my apartment ever again. Even if I starve._

xXx

 **Step 2: If step one is unsuccessful, perhaps this may work better. Making some sort of flashy sign near their location to draw their attention can make them come to you. The flashier the better.**

Lucy was more reluctant to spy on Pinky after the poster incident but after several days of tireless editing, she wanted some human interaction. However, she never would've picked up her binoculars had she known what was waiting for her on the other side of them.

 _What is that red chicken scrawl on those papers stuck to the window…?_

"…I'M…"

 _I feel like I'm visiting an optometrist for an eyesight test._

"…WATCHING…is that a 'y'…?"

When Lucy realised what Pinky had written, she reeled back in shock, her hands shaking. Plue barked in worry.

"Plue…it says…I'M WATCHING YOU LUIGI…"

 _Is Pinky insane?! What kind of person would do this…and who the hell is Luigi meant to be?_

xXx

Natsu sneezed and looked at Happy excitedly.

"Happy, Luigi's probably thinking about me right now! I'd told you she'd see the message better if it was written in red paint!"

Happy meowed as if to say, I knew she'd see it but our reasons for knowing she would are completely different.

"Why would they be different?" Natsu asked curiously.

Happy could only be shocked that his owner had apparently read his mind.

xXx

 **Step 3: This is the final and most effective** **battle** **plan to find whoever you're looking for who seems to be elusive** **like my beloved Gray-sama.** **Use a method that successfully made them approach you before.**

"Happy I need you to be pretend dead."

The blue cat only looked up at Natsu and then shook his head like he was an idiot.

"Please Happy. I know it'll work. My dragon instinct tells me so!"

Happy meowed condescendingly.

"Please Happy-sama," Natsu prostrated himself on the floor before his cat, "this is my last resort!"

Happy meowed arrogantly.

"You'll do it for ten fish?! It's a deal buddy!" Natsu shook Happy's paw eagerly.

xXx

Lucy was startled awake from a midday nap when Plue started barking like a madman (or mad dog in his case) and pawing at the window.

"…Plue…what's wrong boy?" Lucy asked sleepily, rubbing her tired eyes.

Plue shifted his gaze away from the window to stare at Lucy before meaningfully directing his attention back to the window.

"Something's wrong with Pinky and his blue cat?"

Lucy rolled out of bed before picking up her binoculars to look through the familiar window.

"Something's wrong with the cat again?!" Lucy cried out as she saw the blue feline curled up in a ball leaving his food bowl untouched again.

 _The cat looks like it's in pain again but…why does the situation feel…off?_

Choosing to hide behind her curtain before taking any more peeks, Lucy's suspicions were confirmed when she saw a trace of pink hair concealed behind a couch.

 _No way. Is that Pinky…?_

Lucy watched as Pinky emerged from behind the couch decked in a camouflage outfit with his trademark white scarf wrapped around his face.

 _Is he cosplaying or…something?_

However when she saw what he was holding she immediately dropped down to the floor.

Plue sent her a judging look, conveying through his eyes what he thought of his owner at this moment.

"I am not a weirdo. This is for safety." Lucy said defensively.

Lucy got up using the curtain as her safety blanket as she took a quick peek at Pinky to confirm what she had seen was real. After all, seeing is believing.

 _He's really holding binoculars…yellow binoculars…is this how a parent feels when their kid learns their first bad word?_

Lucy watched in disbelief as he made a hand signal to his cat who in response rolled into another position that gave the impression of illness. And as she watched him return to his original watching spot, apparently looking for her, only one thought ran through her head.

 _Curse you sympathy for starting all of this._

xXx

It was official. Lucy was being stalked- by Pinky of all people. The stalker had officially become the stalked.

 _I did have my suspicions._ _First the missing posters. Then the horror style message on his windows. And now, the ultimate irony, the yellow binoculars._

Lucy knew it'd only be a matter of time before he found her. She needed help. Desperately. Accessing her go to blog site for help- Fairy Tail Online, she typed in the search bar 'How to be missing'. Surprisingly one blog post came up with exactly what she needed and she opened it up eagerly.

"Look Plue, someone understands how precarious my situation is! They posted this to help those like me!" Lucy was touched.

 _Bless you empathy._

Plue huffed but moved closer to Lucy, resting by her feet, eyes glinting curiously at the screen.

"How to be a missing person 101," Lucy read aloud, "Posted by not-a-stripper-clothes-and-me-just-don't-work."

 _You're putting a lot of faith in a possibly in-denial stripper…_

Lucy shrugged. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She absolutely could not let her secret and identity be uncovered.

"Dear readers, this post is in response to another blog written by a crazy water woman fellow blogger and teaches you how to escape keep hidden from them due to their stalkerish obsession with you whatever reason. Good luck and may you stay safe hidden, my stalked friends."

 _Poor guy. He must really have been through a lot to be so knowledgeable about getting away from stalkers._

An almost naked Gray sneezed, blowing his nose on a tissue before returning to his nap in his apartment.

His blue haired stalker Juvia watched him from afar. "Someone's thinking of Gray-sama?! Love rival!"

xXx

Lucy thought back to the wise words of not-a-stripper-clothes-and-me-just-don't-work as she strolled around her apartment, waiting for her food to finish cooking.

 _The two most important things to remember is to be self-sufficient so you can hole up in your house when you need to and to be as inconspicuous as possible if you ever do run into your stalker._

A beeping sound startled her from her thoughts and she rushed back to her oven where smoke was exiting. Horrified she quickly put out the fire on her now burnt meal and examined the inside of her oven.

"Noooooooo! Oven don't do this to me, please! Please!" Lucy begged.

But it was no use. She knew it. Plue knew it. And the oven, especially knew it. Giving out one last creak, the oven became still.

"Rest in peace my oven. You served me well." Lucy cried, softly stroking the oven which had been with her ever since she moved in.

Lucy sighed and then stood up. Without an oven, her food choices were limited severely. There was no other option if she wanted to "hole up in her house" as the blog had said. Using her laptop she found a company that could install a new oven for her. Dialling their number on her phone, she paced nervously, biting her lip.

"Hello this is Mirajane of FT Handyman & co. how may I help you?"

"H…Hi my oven recently b…broke down and I was w…wondering if you could…send someone over to install a n…new one?"

Mirajane picked up on the woman's stuttering and her voice immediately became softer and more soothing. After a brief conversation where they discussed the details, Lucy hung up on the phone, drenched in sweat. Plue nuzzled her side, whining in worry.

"Fine Plue…I'm fine."

On the other side, Mira felt slightly surprised at the amount of protectiveness she felt over this soft spoken girl who sounded younger than her and very scared.

"Who should I send…?" Mira pondered.

"Gajeel?" She thought of the heavily pierced, muscular man with his dark glare and shook her head immediately.

"Laxus? He does like working with electrical appliances…" This time she thought of her blonde husband and again shook her head.

"Gray? No he strips around and this girl would definitely end up emotionally scarred."

"I need someone disarming. Someone who can get the job done but won't scare the girl. Someone like…"

"NATSU! IMMA KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME?!" A voice shouted from afar.

Mira spotted a blur of pink and called out, "Natsu! Come here. I have a job for you!"

Immediately, Natsu was at her desk and grinning enthusiastically.

"Who, what, where, when, why?!" Natsu questioned excitedly.

"A female who lives in apartment 402 in the CS Apartment Building needs a new oven installed. She didn't ask for a specific appointment so just go at an appropriate time within the next few days, okay?"

"Understood!" Natsu saluted.

"Oh and Natsu…this woman seems really…sensitive of other people so try tone it down a bit. Be gentle. I picked you in particular for this job."

"Got it, Mira." Natsu's smile was smaller yet warmer.

"Thanks Natsu. Good luck with the job!" He waved in farewell before entering his red truck to pick up the new oven and then heading to his client's apartment.

xXx

Lucy was on high alert. After realising she had stupidly forgotten to set a time for the installation, she knew that now they would come at any time over the next few days.

 _But there's no way they'd come today. It's already pretty late…no normal handyman would be willing to work so late…_

Suddenly the noise of the doorbell rang through her apartment.

 _I jinxed it._

Lucy looked wildly around her apartment, seeing that it was a mess. She wanted to clean up but the doorbell continued to ring noisily, the beeping noise stirring memories that she had forced deep into her mind.

 _What do I do? What do I do?_

Lucy began hyperventilating. She hadn't prepared enough for this yet. Plue rushed to her side, nudging her along to her door where the person, who Lucy assumed was the handyman, was knocking persistently on the door.

"Hello? Is anyone at home? I have to install an oven for you."

Lucy took deep breaths, preparing to unlock the door for them but chose to glance through the peephole to make sure they were indeed the right person.

But what she saw nearly made her faint.

 _Pink hair._

xXx

 **Thanks for reading the third instalment of this story. I hope you enjoyed it!**

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